Football sled

ABSTRACT

An improved football sled for training football players has a frame with one or more upwardly extending blocking units attached thereto, an action signal device for signaling to the player to strike the blocking unit and a control unit for operatively controlling the action signal device. Each of the blocking units has a force measurement device disposed at the striking area thereof that is operatively connected to the control unit. The control unit is configured to measure, display and analyze the player&#39;s reaction time in response to the signal from the action signal device and the amount of force the player is able to impact against the blocking unit. The action signal device can be a visual or an audible signal. In the preferred embodiment, the action signal device comprises a mechanism for slideably moving a football so as to best simulate the hiking conditions experienced during a football game.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/602,093 filed Aug. 16, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

The field of the present invention relates generally to football sledsutilized to train football players to improve their hitting and responseskills. More specifically, this invention relates to such football sledsthat include an analytical device for measuring the response andblocking/hitting skills of one or more players utilizing the improvedfootball sled. Even more specifically, this invention relates to suchfootball sleds that measure the player's response time and the force atwhich the player hits the padded portion of the sled and then providesthat information to the coach, player and/or other interested persons.

B. Background

As is well known by many players, coaches and spectators, football is agame that requires physical strength, stamina and various mental skills,including reaction time. Although most of the time and effort duringfootball training or practice may be spent on improving the footballplayer's physical strength and stamina, much time is also devoted toimproving the player's mental game abilities. One aspect ofaccomplishing these objectives is to create training and practicesessions that mimic as closely as possible actual field and game playingconditions. Although it is generally relatively easy for a coach orother interested person to assess how fast an individual player can run,how much weight he can lift and other standard information, it isusually very difficult to determine how well the player reacts in actualgame conditions and to improve any weaknesses the player may have inthat regard. As a result, the desire to create game-like conditions thatprovide players the ability to practice and improve their game skillsand coaches the ability to accurately assess how individual players mayreact in a game is well known. Unfortunately, there are not manyapparatuses or devices that accurately mimic game conditions and whicheasily allow a coach or other interested person, such as the team'sowner or a media representative, the ability to assess the player's gameabilities. This is particularly true when reviewing the skills ofpotential new players.

In one very important part of the game of football, offensive anddefensive players line up across from each other waiting for the snap ofthe ball from the center to the quarterback. When the ball is snapped,the defensive players, particularly the defensive lineman, attempt tocharge across the line of blocking offensive players, primarily made upof the offensive lineman, to tackle the offensive player with thefootball (i.e., the quarterback, running back or any other player withthe ball) or to break-up a pass to an offensive pass receiver. Onedifficulty for the defensive player is that he is not allowed to crossthe imaginary line defined by the position of the football on the fielduntil the ball is moved by the center. If the defensive player jumpsacross this line prematurely, the defensive team is penalized, whichgenerally results in a position or opportunity enhancement (i.e.,additional play) for the offensive team. In this same aspect of thegame, the offensive lineman must line up and respond to the movement ofthe defensive players across the line. The offensive line has anadditional burden in that they are not allowed to move until the ball issnapped. Once the ball is snapped, they must react quickly to block thecharging defensive players to prevent them from getting to thequarterback or other ball handling player. Failure to do so results innegative position change (i.e., lost yardage) or the potential for afumble, which can result in the other team acquiring the football and/orpoints for the other team.

In light of the importance of the football player's reaction skills,including response to the moving football and his ability to effectivelyblock or hit an opposing player, a significant amount of the lineman'spractice or training time is spent on improving these skills. As is wellknown, many football coaches and trainers utilize football sleds to helptrain players so as to improve the player's response and hitting skills.The typical football sled, commonly utilized by those in the footballindustry, includes a frame that supports one or more blocking units in agenerally upwardly angle and a sled unit that is configured to slide orroll over the ground, which is typically grass or artificial turf.Although a variety of materials can be utilized for the sled frame, thetypical football sled frame is made out of a coated steel tubing orother metal materials. The blocking unit generally comprises a highstrength plate, typically made out of steel and commonly referred to asa “pig,” that attaches to the frame and provides a structural supportfor a covering pad. A leaf or other spring component is integral withthe pig so as to provide flexible, but desirably life-like, resistancefor the blocking unit. Many pig portions are configured to be adjustablein the height and angle to better simulate the field position of anopposing player. The outer portion of the blocking unit is padded and istypically made out of a heavy duty vinyl that covers a steel core thatinteracts with the pig to attach the pad thereto. A high density impactresistant foam surrounds the steel core and is covered by the vinylouter portion of the pad. The typical sled frame has one or moresled-like runners that extend outwardly from the back of the frame toallow the sled to slide across the ground when impacted by the playerduring practice. Other sled units have a plurality of wheel members thatallow the unit to roll over the ground. Yet other sled units areconfigured to be fixedly attached to the ground, floor or other trainingsurface. For purposes of this disclosure, the term football sled isintended to refer to any type of configuration of football sled framethat is now in use and which may be utilized in the future for thepurpose of training football players as described herein.

Sled units utilized in football practice and training are configuredwith one or more blocking units. Some of the larger sled units havefive, six or more blocking units. Many sled units have the frameconfigured with a platform portion for the coach or trainer to stand onwhen directing the practice or training session, usually whiletransmitting instructions to the players and evaluating their responseskills. In general, the players using the football sled positionthemselves in front of the blocking unit in the typical crouchingconfiguration used at the scrimmage line during an actual game. When thecoach or trainer signals, typically with a voice, whistle, horn or otheraudible signal, the linemen drive forward into the blocking unit to hitthe outer pad with as much force as they can to simulate hitting anotherplayer during a game. The signal from the coach or trainer is intendedto represent the movement of the football by the center that starts theplay. Ideally, the players do not move until the signal is given andmove very quickly, based on individual reaction times, after the signalto hit the blocking unit with as much force as they are capable ofproducing.

Early football sleds only included the basic frame and the generallyupwardly extending blocking units. Over the years this basic footballsled has been improved to better train the player. One such improvementis set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 2,521,649 to Paupa, U.S. Pat. No.2,940,757 to Brift and U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,776 to Weidmaier. Thesepatents describe a football sled having a football holding apparatusthat extends outward and/or forward from the sled and is adapted to movein response to action by the coach or trainer so as to train the playersto move against the blocking unit only when the football moves. To someextent, the moving football apparatus attempts to simulate the movementof the football during actual playing conditions. U.S. Pat. No.3,062,547 to Kopp describes a football training sled that includes oneor more pivotally mounted helmets that are configured to simulate themovement of an offensive lineman. U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,265 to Sheets, etal., U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,076 to Monaco and U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,272 toStaten describe football sleds having a telescopingly attached blockingunit mounted on a sled-type base or other platform. The patent to Sheetsutilizes both a moveable football and a moveable helmet. U.S. Pat. No.4,534,557 to Bigelow, et al. describes a training system that isutilized to measure and provide feedback with regard to a player'sreaction time and applied force by utilizing a pressure transducer inthe padded striking area of a conventional blocking pad. U.S. Pat. No.6,045,464 to Crist, Jr. describes a football snap simulator, which canbe mounted to a football sled, that is configured to simulate thesnapping of a football. U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,119 to Tipton discloses afootball training and evaluating apparatus that has a frame mountedmeasuring-signaling element which is configured to measure the forceimparted to a contacting element and the time between a signal generatedby a visual signaling apparatus and the contact against the contactingelement.

Unfortunately, while the conventional football sled units generally do agood job at simulating the hitting effect of linemen in a football game,they do not mimic well the need to respond quickly to the movement ofthe football by the center and do not provide a mechanism that is easyfor the coach or trainer to utilize to evaluate the player's blocking orhitting skills and compare those to the skills of other players. Variousimproved football sleds which attempt to measure the impact force and/orreaction time of the player are generally excessively complicated and donot appear to be generally well accepted by those in the footballtraining industry. What is needed is an improved football sled thatbetter mimics the movement of the football snap by the center and whichprovides an improved ability to analyze a player's reaction time and theamount of force which he generates when he hits the sled's blockingunit. The preferred football sled will have the same basic components aspresently available football sleds with the addition of football snapsimulator mechanism to simulate the snap action of football during gameplay, a timing mechanism to measure the amount of time between the snapand the player's impact against the blocking unit, a force measurementmechanism to measure the force impacted by the player against theblocking unit and a computer control module to cooperatively operate thesnap simulator mechanism and the timing and force measurementmechanisms. It is also preferred that the improved football sled of thepresent invention include a graphical user interface to allow the coachor trainer to view and manipulate the data so as to review and comparethe skill and performance measurements of one or more players. It isalso preferred that the improved football sled include a data transfermechanism to transfer data between the football sled and a computer,laptop computer, personal data assistant (“PDA”) or other device forremote viewing and/or operation of the computer control module. It isalso preferred that the improved football sled be adaptable forreceiving and displaying or transmitting information about the footballplayer's physiology, including heart rate, body temperature, breathingrate and other such physical data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The improved football sled of the present invention provides thebenefits and solves the problems identified above. That is to say, thepresent invention discloses an improved football sled that substantiallyimproves the simulation of a football snap or hike by the center andmeasures the amount of time it takes a player to respond to thatsnap/hike action by hitting the blocking unit and the amount of forceimpacted by the football player against the blocking unit. The preferredembodiment of the improved football sled of the present invention bothmeasures the amount of time for the player to respond to the snap/hikeof the football and the amount of force he impacts against the blockingunit, and then transmits that data to a computer module that isconfigured with a graphical user interface and/or to a device configuredto transmit control information or data between the football sled and acomputer, laptop computer, PDA or other computer device for remoteviewing and/or operation of the computer control module. As such, theimproved football sled of the present invention better mimics the gameplaying situations faced by players on the field and provides instantfeedback to the coach or trainer with regard to the skills and abilitiesof the players. The improved football sled of the present invention canalso include a player monitoring system configured to monitor variousphysiological characteristics of the player.

In one general aspect of the present invention, the football sled foruse in training a football player has a frame with a generally upwardlyextending blocking unit attached thereto. In the preferred embodiment,the frame has a base portion, with the blocking unit attached thereto,and one or more outwardly extending sled-like members that areconfigured to allow the football sled to slide across the ground orother practice surface. The blocking unit has a striking area that isadapted for impact by the football player with a force measurementdevice located in the blocking unit at the striking area. The forcemeasurement device is configured and adapted to measure the impact forceimparted against the striking area by the football player as he moves tosimulate a blocking or pushing action. The football sled has an actionsignal device that is configured to generate a signal to the footballplayer when he is supposed to push forward and impact the blocking unit.A control unit, which is preferably mounted on the frame and comprises avisual display and human interface, is operatively connected to theforce measurement device to display and/or analyze the impact force. Thecontrol unit is also operatively connected to the action signal deviceso as to measure, display and/or analyze the player's reaction time(i.e., how fast he responds to the signal from the action signaldevice). In the preferred embodiment, the action signal device comprisesa football or football-like unit that either lights up or moves for thesignal. In the preferred embodiment, the action signal devices isattached to a signal mounting apparatus that slidably moves the actionsignal device (i.e., the football) so as to best simulate the hikingaction of an actual football game. Also in the preferred embodiment, thecontrol unit is configured to display the impact force and reaction timedata to a coach or trainer standing on the football sled and to remotelytransmit, such as by wireless transmission, the measured impact forceand reaction time to a computer, laptop, PDA or other device. In analternative embodiment, the control unit is operatively connected to oneor more monitoring devices attached to the football player so the coachor trainer can monitor various physiological characteristics of theplayer.

In another general aspect of the present invention, the football sled isused for training a group of football players, having a frame with abase and one or more outwardly extending sled-like runners so that itcan slide over a supporting surface and a plurality of generallyupwardly extending blocking units attached to the base of the frame.Each of the blocking units is configured with a striking area that isadapted for impact by one of the football players. Preferably, a forcemeasurement device is disposed inside each of the blocking units at thestriking area thereof and is adapted to measure the impact forceimparted against the striking area by one of the players. The footballsled also has an action signal device which is configured to generate asignal to all of the football players to initiate their process ofimpacting the blocking unit. A control unit, preferably mounted on thebase portion of the frame, is operatively connected to each of the forcemeasurement devices to display and/or analyze the impact force generatedby each player and operatively connected to the action signal device andthe force measurement device so as to measure, display and/or analyzeeach player's reaction time. In the preferred embodiment, the controlunit has a visual display for displaying the impact force and thereaction time for each football player to a coach or trainer standing ona platform mounted on the frame of the football sled. Preferably, thecontrol unit is also configured to remotely transmit the impact forceand the reaction time for each of football player to a laptop computer,PDA or other device.

Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is toprovide an improved football sled for training and evaluating footballplayers that provides the advantages discussed above and overcomes thedisadvantages and limitations which are associated with presentlyavailable football sleds.

An important objective of the present invention is to provide animproved football sled that is configured for use in training footballplayers that better simulates actual game play when hiking the footballand which allows the coach or trainer to better evaluate variousfootball player skills, including reaction time and ability to generatean impact force.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide animproved football sled that is adaptable to a variety of differentfootball sled configurations.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide animproved football sled that measures the player's response time fromwhen the football is snapped to when he hits the blocking unit so thecoach or trainer can evaluate the player's reaction time and assist withimproving such reaction time.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide animproved football sled that measures the amount of force by which theplayer is able to hit the blocking unit after movement of the footballduring a simulated snap by the center so the player's coach or trainercan evaluate the amount of that force and assist the player withimproving his ability to generate the impact force.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide animproved football sled that provides the coach, trainer or otherinterested person with nearly instantaneous feedback with regard to afootball player's reaction time and the impact force the playergenerates against the blocking unit component of the football sled inresponse to a simulated snap or hiking of a football.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide animproved football sled that provides the coach, trainer or otherinterested person with nearly instantaneous feedback with regard to afootball player's physiological conditions, such as heart rate,breathing rates and body temperature.

The above and other objectives of the present invention will beexplained in greater detail by reference to the attached figures and thedescription of the preferred embodiment which follows. As set forthherein, the present invention resides in the novel features of form,construction, mode of operation and combination of processes presentlydescribed and understood by the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiments and the bestmodes presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a football player against the blocking unit ofa football sled configured according to the attributes of a preferredembodiment of the present invention having a single blocking unit and alighted football to simulate the snap of the football;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an improved football sled configuredwith the attributes of the present invention utilizing two blockingunits and a lighted football as to signal the football snap action;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the improved football sled shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an improved football sled of the presentinvention utilizing four blocking units and a sliding football to signalthe football snap action; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of the improved football sled shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the figures where like elements have been given likenumerical designations to facilitate the reader's understanding of theimproved football sled of the present invention, the preferredembodiments of the present invention are set forth below. As will berecognized by those skilled in the art, the enclosed figures anddrawings are merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments andrepresent several different ways of configuring the present invention.Although specific components, materials, configurations and uses areillustrated, it should be understood that a number of variations to thecomponents and to the configuration of those components described hereinand in the accompanying figures can be made without changing the scopeand function of the invention set forth herein.

An improved football sled that is manufactured out of the materials andconfigured pursuant to the principles of the present invention is showngenerally as 10 in the figures. As shown in a football sled 10 has aframe 12 that supports one or more blocking units 14 in a generallyupwardly disposed angle and a sled unit 16 that is configured to slideover the ground 17. Although a variety of materials can be utilized forsled frame 12, the typical sled frame 12 is made out of a coated steeltubing frame members to form base 18. Blocking unit 14 generallyincludes a high strength plate 19, typically made out of steel andcommonly referred to as a “pig,” that attaches to frame 12 and providesa structural support for a covering pad 20. A leaf or other springcomponent (not shown) is integral with the pig 19 so as to provideflexible, but desirably life-like, resistance for blocking unit 14 whenhit by football player 21, as shown in FIG. 1. As known in the art,blocking unit 14 is generally configured to be adjustable in height andangle so as to provide as realistic as possible training for player 21.Covering pad 20 is typically a heavy duty vinyl that covers a steel core(not shown) that interacts with the pig 19 to securely attach blockingunit 14 to pig 19. A high density impact resistant foam (also not shown)surrounds the steel core and is covered by the vinyl outer portion ofcovering pad 20. The typical sled unit 10 has one or more outwardlyextending, sled-like runners 22 configured to allow sled unit 10 toslide over the ground when blocking unit 14 is impacted by player 21during practice. Although not shown, sled unit 10 may have a pluralityof wheel members that allow sled unit 10 to roll over the ground, asopposed to the sliding when using runners 22. As set forth above, forpurposes of this disclosure the term football sled is intended to referto any type of configuration of football sleds that are now in use andwhich may be utilized in the future for the purpose of training one ormore football players 21. Sled unit 10 can be configured with one ormore blocking units 14, such as the one blocking unit 14 in FIG. 1, thetwo blocking units 14 in FIGS. 2 and 3 or the four blocking units inFIGS. 4 and 5. Some of the larger sled units 10 have five or sevenblocking units 14. As shown in FIG. 1, many sled units 10 have aplatform 23 for the coach or trainer to stand on and a generally uprightsupport frame 25 for the coach or trainer to hold onto when directingthe practice or training session.

The improved football sled 10 of the present invention includes anaction signal device 24 that is preferably mounted to one or more offrame members 18 of sled frame 12 in a manner that allows all theplayers 21 utilizing football sled 10 to see. The purpose of actionsignal device 24 is to provide a signal to player 21 so that he pushesforward, preferably rapidly, to contact blocking unit 14 with sufficientforce that if blocking unit 14 was an opposing player he would eitherblock the rushing defensive player or push back the blocking offensiveplayer. In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, action signaldevice 24 is a football or football-shaped component mounted on signalmount apparatus 26. To facilitate game-like use of football sled 10 ofthe present invention, action signal device 24 is configured to somewhatsimulate a snap or hike action by the center. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 through 3, action signal device 24 is configured with one ormore light bulbs or other light sources such that it lights up tosimulate the hike/snap and cause the player 21 to move into blockingunit 14. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, signal mount 26 isconfigured to slidably move action signal device 24 either forward orbackward, depending on whether the offensive line or the defensive lineis utilizing football sled 10. For the configuration in the embodimentshown in FIGS. 4 and 5, signal mount 26 is configured with a slidableconnection that securely and operatively attaches to action signaldevice 24 to rapidly (i.e., as with a football center) move actionsignal device 24 from the stationary set position to the snap/hikeposition. In an alternative embodiment, action signal device cangenerate an audio signal, such as a whistle or alarm, or be a tapedvoice signal that generates an audible snap count for the player torespond to and impact blocking unit 14. The operation of action signaldevice 24 is controlled by a coach, trainer or other interested personwho may be standing on platform 23 or located remotely from footballsled 10.

To facilitate measurement and evaluation of the player's skills withregard to moving off the scrimmage line and hitting an opposing player,football sled 10 of the present invention has a control unit, shown as28 in the figures, that is operatively connected to a force measurementmechanism 30 located at the striking area 32 of blocking unit 14. Thestriking area 32 is that portion of blocking unit 14 that the coach ortrainer desires player 21 to hit with sufficient speed and force so asto simulate contact with an opposing player. Control unit 28 has acomputer module that is configured to cooperatively operate with theaction signal device 24 (i.e., the lighted football of FIGS. 1 through 3or the moving football of FIGS. 4 and 5) so as to measure the player'sresponse time and force generation skills. Control unit 28 includes atiming mechanism that measures the amount of time between when thesnap/hike simulation of action signal device 24 occurs, such asrepresented by the light or movement of the football, and the time whenplayer 21 contacts blocking unit 14. To accomplish this objective,blocking unit 14 includes a force measurement mechanism 30, such as acontact pad or the like having one or more pressure transducers, that isconfigured to receive a force and send a signal to the timing mechanismthat it has received that force. An example of a pressure transducersystem generally applicable to football sled 10 of the present inventionis set forth n U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,557 to Bigelow, et al. (thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein). In this manner, player 21will respond as quickly as he can to action signal device 24, such asthe lighted football (FIGS. 1 through 3) or the moving football (FIGS. 4and 5), and hit blocking unit 14 to register how long it took for him tomake that contact and the force imparted by the player 21 on blockingunit 14. The player's response time and force information istransmitted, either over wires or wirelessly, to the computer module incontrol unit 28. Preferably, control unit 28 includes a graphical userinterface, which can comprise a multi-key keypad that includes thestandard twelve keys and other function keys, on/off switches and adisplay panel (typically a LCD panel) for displaying the response timeand amount of force generated by player 21. This information allows thecoach or trainer to quickly and easily view and utilize the data (i.e.,charts or graphs) so as to review and compare the response time, forcegenerated and/or various other performance measurements of the one ormore players 21 utilizing football sled 10. Because the coach or trainercan virtually instantaneously determine which player or players are notcontributing the amount they should or can, he or she can suggestadjustments to the stance or movement of player 21 that will allow theplayer 21 to better achieve his full potential. If desired, control unit28 can be programmed to include the ability to set minimum performancestandards and with an “alarm” type of system if player 21 fails toachieve the desired goals (such as a particular response time or impactforce level).

In the preferred embodiment, force measurement mechanism 30 at thestriking area 32 of blocking unit 14 is also configured to measure theamount of force impacted by player 21 against blocking unit 14. As knownto those familiar with football and football training, the ability tohit the opposing player with sufficient force to either push through theoffensive line or stop the defensive players from breaking through theline is dependent on a combination of speed, strength and effectivehitting techniques. Although size of a player is important, it is notuncommon to find a “smaller” player who can hit more effectively than a“bigger” player due to the player's techniques. The contact pad orpressure transducers in force measurement mechanism 30 is adapted toreceive an impact force so as to both stop the timing mechanism toregister response time and measure the strength of that force toregister the player's effective hitting ability. The impact forceinformation is also transmitted, either over wires or wirelessly, to thecomputer module in control center 28 for real time review and analysisby the coach/trainer. In the preferred embodiment, force measurementmechanism 30 is positioned inside blocking unit 14 immediately behindthe covering pad 20 at striking area 32 of blocking unit 14. Althoughforce measurement mechanism 30 can be located on the outside of coveringpad 20, placement inside blocking unit 14 behind covering pad 20 ispreferred so as to reduce the likelihood of damage and/or corrosionproblems with regard to force measurement mechanism 30. As those skilledin the art will readily recognize, placement of force measurementmechanism 30 should be chosen so that it is capable of effectivelyrecognizing that contact has been made and registering the amount ofimpact force generated by player 21.

Although the preferred embodiment includes both the timing and forcemeasuring components described above, football sled 10 could be madewith either of these components alone (i.e., with just timing or justforce measuring capability). Various mechanisms for measuring responsetime and the force impacted by the player are known and generallycommercially available. These components can be incorporated intofootball sled 10 to accomplish the objectives of the present invention.Although the various figures included herewith show a control unit 28identified with each blocking unit 14, those skilled in the art willrecognize that football sled 10 can be provided with a single controlunit 28 that is operatively connected to action signal device 24 (i.e.,the football) and each of the blocking units 14 on football sled 10. Infact, due to the cost of components, ease of manufacture and ability ofthe coach/trainer to review the display screen thereof, it may bebeneficial to utilize a single control unit 28 instead of multiplecontrol units 28. Whether one or multiple control units 28 are utilized,control unit 28 can include a data transfer mechanism to transfer databetween football sled 10 and a computer, laptop computer, PDA or otherdevice for remote viewing and/or operation of the computer module incontrol unit 28. The data transfer mechanism could include a USB,serial, parallel or other type of port suitably configured to receive aphysical connector that connects to the remote device. Alternatively, orin conjunction therewith, control unit 28 can include a short rangeradio frequency (RF) device to allow like-configured devices towirelessly communicate with each other. Until relatively recently, themost common configuration for short range RF systems has been the IEEE802.11 (or Wi-Fi) based radio frequency standard (i.e., 802.11b or802.11g standards). More recently, the communications industry hasdeveloped Bluetooth, a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., as a newwireless technology standard that utilizes the unlicensed 2.4 Ghz radiospectrum (i.e., not licensed by the United States' applicablegovernmental regulating authority, the Federal Communications Commissionor FCC). In general, the Bluetooth network technology is an open,worldwide specification for wireless communication of data and voicethat is based on a low-cost, short-range radio link that allows wirelesscommunication over a typical range of up to 100 feet. As well known tothose skilled in the art, Bluetooth has been incorporated into a varietyof devices for various uses, including the interface between mobiletelephones and wireless headsets. With the RF capability incorporatedinto football sled 10, an interested person, such as a coach, trainer orowner, could remotely view the results of the timing and forcemeasurements and/or control the operation of action signal device 24(light or movement of football), thereby eliminating the need to be onfootball sled 10 or, if desired, even on the field nearby.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, control unit 28is configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more physiologymeasurement devices positioned on player 21 so as to allow monitoring ofthe player's heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature or variousother physiological information. As known to those skilled in the art,the body of player 21 is under a significant amount of physical stressduring a typical practice session. In fact, more than one player 21 hassuffered injury, including severe injuries and even death, duringfootball practice. Many of these injuries or deaths could have beenprevented if the player 21 had one or more physiological monitoringdevices on his body such that a coach, trainer, medical specialist orother person could have seen that his heart was having problems, hisbreathing rate was insufficient or too rapid, his body temperature hadrisen dangerously and/or other warning signs of a heart attack, strokeor other injury was indicated. The monitoring devices on player 21 caninclude the ability to measure the amount of fluid loss by the playerand/or the body's level of dehydration so that the player can be warnedto stop and drink fluids. The technology for the ability to monitor athe physiological characteristics of player 21 is generally readilyavailable, having been used in the space program and various competitivesports (i.e., the Tour de France bicycle race). With regard to thepresent invention, the one or more monitoring devices on player 21 canbe configured to communicate wirelessly to control unit 28, such as byRF or Bluetooth, so that the coach can review these statistics alongwith the reaction time and impact force performance statistics discussedabove. As with the performance statistics, the coach or trainer can setminimum or maximum warning levels for each player that automaticallysets an alarm if any of the player's physiological characteristics goesinto the danger zone.

In use, player 21 using football sled 10 position himself in front of ablocking unit 14 in the typical crouching configuration used at the lineduring an actual game. When the action signal device 24 (i.e., thefootball) simulates a snap or hike, either by lighting up as shown inFIGS. 1 through 3 or by moving as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lineman orlinemen drive forward into blocking unit 14 to hit covering pad 20 withas much force as they can to simulate hitting the opposing player duringa game. The computer module component in control unit 28 measures theplayer's response time from when the snap/hike signal is given untilwhen player 21 hits force measurement mechanism 30 at striking area 32.Concurrently therewith, force measurement mechanism 30 measures theamount of impact force that player 21 applies to blocking unit 14. Thisinformation is displayed by control center 28 and/or transmitted to oneor more remote computers or computer controlled devices (i.e., PDAs).The coach, trainer or other interested person (including the player 21)can, virtually instantly, see the performance of player 21 and suggestadjustments to player 21 so he can improve his response time and/or theamount of force that he is able to generate against blocking unit 14.With wireless capability, this performance data can be transmitted to acoach/trainer or other interested person who is located away from theuse of football sled 10. With one or more monitoring devices on player21 in communication with control unit 28, the coach, trainer or amedical person can monitor the player's physiological characteristics toensure that player 21 is not risking injury or death by overdoing theexercise or failing to obtain enough fluids to replace those lost due toperspiration. The power for operation of action signal device 24,control unit 28, force measurement mechanism 30 and any other monitoringor transmitting devices can be provided by a battery (not shown) on sledunit 10 or by attaching sled unit 10 to a source of electrical power,such as an A/C outlet.

While there are shown and described herein certain specific alternativeforms of the invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art that the invention is not so limited, but is susceptible tovarious modifications and rearrangements in design and materials withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, itshould be noted that the present invention is subject to modificationwith regard to the dimensional relationships set forth herein andmodifications in assembly, materials, size, shape, and use. Forinstance, there are components described herein that can be replacedwith equivalent functioning components to accomplish the objectives ofthe present invention. One such modification is the use of differentmaterials than those set forth herein.

1. A football sled for use in training a football player, said footballsled comprising: a frame; a generally upwardly extending blocking unitattached to said frame, said blocking unit having a striking areaadapted for impact by said football player; a force measurement deviceat said striking area, said force measurement device adapted to measurean impact force imparted against said striking area by said footballplayer; an action signal device configured to generate a signal to saidfootball player; and a control unit operatively connected to said forcemeasurement device to display and/or analyze said impact force andoperatively connected to said action signal device and said forcemeasurement device so as to measure, display and/or analyze a reactiontime.
 2. The football sled according to claim 1, wherein said framecomprises a base and one or more outwardly extending sled-like runners,said football sled configured to slide over a supporting surface.
 3. Thefootball sled according to claim 2, wherein said blocking unit isattached to said base of said frame.
 4. The football sled according toclaim 1, wherein said force measurement device is disposed inside saidblocking unit at said striking area.
 5. The football sled according toclaim 1, wherein said blocking unit comprises a covering pad, said forcemeasurement device behind said covering pad.
 6. The football sledaccording to claim 1, wherein said signal is a light.
 7. The footballsled according to claim 1, wherein said signal is the movement of saidaction signal device.
 8. The football sled according to claim 7, whereinsaid action signal device comprises a slidable mounting mechanismconfigured to slidably move said action signal device.
 9. The footballsled according to claim 1, wherein said signal is an audible signal. 10.The football sled according to claim 1, wherein said control unit isconfigured to remotely transmit said impact force and said reactiontime.
 11. The football sled according to claim 10, wherein said controlunit is adapted to wirelessly transmit said impact force and saidreaction time.
 12. The football sled according to claim 1, wherein saidcontrol unit comprises a visual display for displaying said impact forceand said reaction time.
 13. The football sled according to claim 12further comprising a platform for review of said visual display of saidcontrol unit.
 14. A football sled for use in training a plurality offootball players, said football sled comprising: a frame having a baseand one or more outwardly extending sled-like runners, said footballsled configured to slide over a supporting surface; a plurality ofgenerally upwardly extending blocking units attached to said base ofsaid frame, each of said blocking units having a striking area adaptedfor impact by one of said plurality of football players; a forcemeasurement device at each of said striking areas, said forcemeasurement device adapted to measure an impact force imparted againstsaid striking area; an action signal device configured to generate asignal to said plurality of football players; and a control unitoperatively connected to each of said force measurement devices todisplay and/or analyze said impact force and operatively connected tosaid action signal device and said force measurement device so as tomeasure, display and/or analyze a reaction time.
 15. The football sledaccording to claim 14, wherein said force measurement device is disposedinside said blocking unit at said striking area.
 16. The football sledaccording to claim 14, wherein said signal is a light.
 17. The footballsled according to claim 14, wherein said signal is the movement of saidaction signal device.
 18. The football sled according to claim 14,wherein said control unit is configured to remotely transmit said impactforce and said reaction time for each of said plurality of footballplayers.
 19. The football sled according to claim 14, wherein saidcontrol unit comprises a visual display for displaying said impact forceand said reaction time for each of said plurality of football players.20. A football sled for use in training a plurality of football players,said football sled comprising: a frame having a base and one or moreoutwardly extending sled-like runners, said football sled configured toslide over a supporting surface; a plurality of generally upwardlyextending blocking units attached to said base of said frame, each ofsaid blocking units having a striking area adapted for impact by one ofsaid plurality of football players; a force measurement device disposedinside said blocking unit at each of said striking areas, said forcemeasurement device adapted to measure an impact force imparted againstsaid striking area; an action signal device configured to generate asignal to said plurality of football players; and a control unitoperatively connected to each of said force measurement devices todisplay and/or analyze said impact force and operatively connected tosaid action signal device and said force measurement device so as tomeasure, display and/or analyze a reaction time, said control unithaving a visual display for displaying said impact force and saidreaction time for each of said plurality of football players, saidcontrol unit configured to remotely transmit said impact force and saidreaction time for each of said plurality of football players.